Game Developer Vlambeer can't seem to catch a break when it comes to other developers cloning their games. Their latest game to be cloned on the Apple App Store is Vlambeer's upcoming title Luftrausers. SkyFar is very similar to Vlambeer's game - in fact, except for a few minor aesthetics it looks identical to Vlambeer's game.

Both titles feature warplanes engaging in dogfights, silhouette-based sprites, a simple control scheme and the same graphical style. Vlambeer's Luftrausers will feature customizable ships and missions when it launches later this spring on PC, Linux, Mac, PS3 and PS Vita - while SkyFar lacks those extra features.

A number of developers and journalists noted the similarities over the weekend and assailed developer Rubiq Lab on Twitter about cloning Vlambeer's upcoming title. Vlambeer's Rami Ismail wasn't able to look into the game cloning, saying on Twitter:

"Oh dear, I am in a foreign train completely incapable of checking into the LUFTRAUSERS clone thing for a few hours. God, not this again."

This is not the only Vlambeer game to be cloned: In 2010, Vlambeer released the Flash game Radical Fishing, which it was developing into a deeper mobile title. But then it was cloned, causing the studio to halt development and rethink the game's design. In 2011, Gamenauts released a title called Ninja Fishing, which offered a similar game to Vlambeer's Flash game. Vlambeer eventually released it as Ridiculous Fishing earlier this year.

Comments

I hate to say it, but with the ease with which this happens, maybe they need to delay talking about a future release until they are ready to release.

If the market is small but hot enough that one company can instantly wreck things for them without a lead up, maybe it's fine if they don't have a lead up too? This just comes across as them being outmanuvered by a faster company.